Bestselling author Radhakrishnan Pillai’s book Chanakya in Daily Life, published by Rupa Publications India, is a fascinating way to sail through the tough times. Sapna Sarfare interviews the author regarding the book, being a best-selling author and more.
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Radhakrishnan Pillai |
A simple question – how much can a book
help in leading better life?
Books
have always been sources to lead a better life. Across cultures &
generations, we find books have helped people to make themselves better and
have good quality of life. For eg., the Gita, Ramayana, Panchatantra, etc have
been eternal books that have helped our nation stand the test of time.
How is this book different from the
self-help books around?
My
book ‘Chanakya in Daily Life’ is not
a self-proclaimed theory of success. This is based on the ancient wisdom of
Chanakya given in his Arthashastra
that was written 2400 years ago. So, in reality there is no invention or
nothing new as such. But, there is a discovery of many principles when are not
just ancient but also eternal.
In
this book, I have taken the liberty to modify the thoughts of Chanakya to our
generation. You will find that the original quotes of Chanakya is used, and
then given to readers in simple format that they can practice in their daily
lives.
Please do tell the readers as to how the
book will affect them in their daily life.
The
book is divided into 3 parts – Personal life, Family life & Professional
life. We all play these roles simultaneously at any given point of time. And
the challenge is to balance all of them. One cannot be a successful
professional and not give time to one’s family. On the other side, one cannot
be a good family man without providing a decent income for this family needs,
so the person has to be successful professionally also.
So
in this book we have 69 short chapters dealing with day to day challenges. How
to wake up in the morning, how to take care of health, how to plan your
finances, taking a family vacation etc… One would be surprised that Chanakya
offers solutions to many such areas of our daily lives. The best part is that
each chapter can be read in 3 minutes. So take up a chapter a day – practice it
and find success.
What makes Chanakya an excellent guru and
still relevant to someone on higher position and layman?
Chanakya
is relevant to the kings (those in higher positions) and also to the commoners
(layman). The beauty is that any person at any stage of life can get guidance
from his wisdom. Chanakya was a wise person. He thought of the total happiness
of everyone. He wanted India to be healthy & wealthy country and be built
on spiritual principals. For him, ethics and moral standards was the most
important priority. Therefore, times may change yet Chanakya’s thoughts are
relevant even today.
Quite a few management gurus have become
the byword for writing spiritual/self-help books. How?
Where
there is a demand there is a supply. Similarly it shows that since self-help
books are doing well, our society needs many authors for writing in that area.
However, look at the other side, not all self-help books do well. Those
management gurus, who have done good research and also have experience in that
field, are the ones who are in demand.
Self-help
books also inspire people when they are low and down emotionally. They get a
direction and path in their lives. There are many people who were contemplating
suicide and then a few lines from a self-help book they read motivated them to
live a purposeful life.
What kind of books keep you going?
I
like to read all kinds of books. Reading for me is like a daily capsule.
Without reading a few chapters of a book, not a single day of my book is complete.
It is food for thought. Primarily I read more management, self-help and
spiritual books (which is my area of writing too). But I do read novels, text
books, academic journals (since I am a professor at University of Mumbai) and
also poetry and drama. Nowadays lots of new & upcoming authors send me
their books to be endorsed. So I read all those first time written books too.
A little bit of self-analysis – what makes
you & your books so popular among the masses?
This
is god’s grace. I have been very fortunate that all my books have been
bestsellers. And continue to be even after 7 years (Corporate Chanakya – my 1st book, continues to grow in
its sales).
Out
of over 10,000 books published each year in India, not all become best sellers.
There are various factors that make it one. The most important one is a
‘connect’ to the readers. If the reader does not feel connected to the writing,
he or she will lose interest after a few pages.
My
writing style is simple and reader-friendly. Even though my books are for the
intellectual readers, it is read by an 8 year old kid and also an 80 year old
wise person. My readers have given me feedback that when they read the book,
they feel I am telling their story. This is important.
My
book ‘Chanakya in You’ got the
Crossword Raymond Popular Book award. I was surprised the way readers have
responded. They connected with each character in the book. This is true even
for ‘Chanakya in Daily Life’ – you
will feel connected that Chanakya is addressing your personal problems. And
that is where the book becomes popular and successful.
Lastly, apart from the gyaan in the book,
what else can anyone take from your present book?
Fun.
My books are not just about Gyaan but enjoying life in totality. Life cannot be
boring. It has to have an element of fun and joy. In my books I have always
insisted people to have a ‘full’ life rather than just a regretting life.
Listen to music, laugh at yourself, go on vacations, take a break, and spend
time with your friends and family. Life cannot be dull; it has to have lot of
positivity too. From my present book ‘Chanakya
in Daily Life’ I say don’t just lead a successful life – lead a happy life…
BOOK TITLE: Chanakya
in Daily Life
AUTHOR: Radhakrishnan Pillai
PUBLISHER: Rupa Publications
India
PAGES: 285
PRICE: Rs. 295
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